KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
25-Feb-2020
Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Captain Amarinder Singh, in the State Assembly, said that the Kartarpur Corridor would not be allowed to shut down at any cost. He said that Punjab government had left no stone unturned to make the corridor a success. The CM, while replying to the opposition demand to dismiss DGP Dinkar Gupta over his purported statements on Kartarpur Corridor, said that DGP had already apologized and the opposition was milking the issue for political capital.CM said that everyone should understand security concerns of the country vis-à-vis a hostile neighbour. Meanwhile, the CM defended his cabinet colleague, Bharat Bhushan Ashu after a suspended DSP had alleged that he had harboured a group of terrorists in 1992. He said, “The TADA case being raked by the opposition against the Minister has already been closed.”
25-Feb-2020
The Punjab State Assembly passed a resolution urging the Central government to ask Pakistan to do away with the condition that pilgrims using the Kartarpur Corridor must hold passports.The Assembly also sought a reduction in the USD 20 fee that Pakistan charges Indian pilgrims using the visa-free facility to visit the Sikh shrine in Kartarpur Sahib.
25-Feb-2020
The Akal Takht officiating Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh said that “DGP Dinkar Gupta’s should quit on moral grounds as his comments has hurt the sentiments of the Sikhs.” The Jathedar, who returned from Pakistan, said that if a Sikh could become an extremist after a six-hour visit to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur, he had spent so many days in Pakistan but never returned to be so. “It is appreciable that the DGP had apologised for his objectionable comments. I do not insist but I believe that he should tender his resignation morally. His comments had hurt the sentiments of the Sikhs across the globe and it was an unpardonable mistake on his part to pass such remarks,” he added.
25-Feb-2020
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh stated that the apprehensions of a threat to the security of the people and the country were serious, however these apprehensions are not because the Corridor (Kartarpur Corridor) has been opened but because of the 'Maardi Neeyat [bad intent] of Pakistan. He further added that "After meddling in Kashmir for long, the ISI had only one task now -- to disturb the peace of Punjab. Pakistan was blatantly trying to foment trouble in the state." He also pointed out that 35,000 Punjabis and 1,700 policemen had lost their lives, in addition to the Army soldiers, during the years of militancy in the stare, and our responsibility is to ensure this does not happen again.
24-Feb-2020
The opposition parties, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), raked up the issue of the controversial remark made by Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta regarding pilgrims visiting the Kartarpur Gurudwara through the newly built corridor inside the State Assembly. The opposition parties also sought sacking of Cabinet Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu in the backdrop of allegations levelled by suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police Balwinder Singh Sekhon of masterminding a bomb blast in the Gur Mandi area of Ludhiana in 1992. Soon after ‘Question Hour’ started, members of SAD and AAP shouted slogans and demanded action against the DGP and the Cabinet Minister.
23-Feb-2020
The suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Balwinder Singh Sekhon accused the Food and Civil Supplies minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu of masterminding a bomb blast at Gur Mandi area of Ludhiana in 1992. He also alleged that minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu is a former Khalistani terrorist who worked with Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan (BTFK) and demanded his removal for involvement in anti-national and heinous crimes. Balwinder Singh Sekhon said, "The statements given by Ashu to the police in 1992 say he was part of Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan (BTFK) that used to harbour arms and ammunition provided logistics support to Khalistani terrorists and was involved in the murder of three people including a lady Home Guard, Constable Shyam Sundar and his uncle. He is a very dangerous person and can kill me. He should be removed as a minister." Balwinder Singh Sekhon also accused that the minister not only conspired the 1992 Ludhiana bomb blast, but also confessed his involvement in a triple murder case reported the same year."Charanjit alias Swarnjit alias Channa a hardcore Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan (BTFK) besides five other ultras were associated with my father and used to visit my dairy located at Dairy Complex, Haibowal. I used to take care of their weapons as nobody suspected me", copies of a police statement claimed to have been given by Ashu to then SP City Ludhiana SS Sandhu on May 6, 1992, issued to the media said. He also said that Ashu had established links with the Khalistani terrorists to kill his uncle Jagdish Chand who he suspected had killed his parents.
22-Feb-2020
The Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab, Dinkar Gupta said that there was no religious connotation in his remarks about Kartarpur Corridor made at an event on February 20. The DGP also said that his statements were misunderstood or ‘willfully misconstrued’. In a statement, he stated that “I rejoiced at the opening of the Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor which has fulfilled the decades-old aspirations of millions of devotees like myself all over the world who profess their faith in Guru Nanak Dev Ji and his divine teachings." "Their daily 'ardas' for 'khulle darshan-deedaar' of religious shrines, that are in post-Partition Pakistan, was finally answered. It was a matter of even greater happiness that it coincided with the 550th Prakash Purab of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji," he said. "As the state DGP, I assure that we will continue to strive to work towards facilitating trouble-free access to the holy shrine of Sri Kartarpur Sahib," he added. He also said that as the DGP of the state, which is faced with the continuing battle against violent extremism that continues to be funded and supported from across the border, he cannot overemphasize the need to remain vigilant. "I only red-flagged the obvious 'potential' for misuse by elements notorious for their hostility towards India and their effort to exploit every opportunity, even the most pious one, to disturb the peace and communal harmony," the DGP said.
22-Feb-2020
The opposition parties in Panjab, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), accused DGP Dinkar Gupta of hurting the sentiments of the Sikh community by making irresponsible remarks in the context of pilgrims visiting the Kartarpur Gurudwara in Pakistan through the newly built corridor.The AAP leaders even demanded that a criminal case be filed against the DGP for his insensitive statement and that he be given the marching orders.
22-Feb-2020
The Dal Khalsa, in a letter urged the US president Donald Trump prior to his scheduled visit to India, to debunk India’s hollow arguments that whatever it does to its minorities is its internal matter. It also urged Trump to exert pressure on India to ensure respect for human rights of struggling nationalities and acceptance of their right to sovereign self-rule through the right to self-determination.The letter, which was sent via US Ambassador to India, was shared with the media by Kanwar Pal Singh and other office bearers at a press conference held at party office.
22-Feb-2020
Unidentified assailants opened fire outside Shiv Sena office at Chandigarh road in Sector 39 in Ludhiana. The bullet hit in the Ford Endeavor SUV parked outside the office. Shiv Sena (Hindustan) president Amit Arora and the party’s state youth president Mani Sheera were sitting inside the office.
21-Feb-2020
Police raided a ‘Dhani’ (a cluster of houses) and arrested four persons for drug peddling near Chamarkhera village on the Abohar-Sadulshehar road in Fazilka District.
21-Feb-2020
The Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab, Dinkar Gupta said that the visa-free passage cleared for Sikh pilgrims at the Kartarpur Corridor was ‘a huge security challenge from a terrorism point of view’. He said that “Kartarpur offers a potential that you send somebody in the morning as an ordinary chap and by evening he comes back a trained terrorist. You are there for six hours, you can be taken to a firing range, you can be taught to make an IED.” “It is a huge concern… that is why it was not opened for all these years. I was in Intelligence Bureau for eight years… The feeling was that it (the corridor) will be a huge security challenge. But after that, as the community wanted it, the diaspora wanted it, it was decided why can’t this dream be realised. So, all those security concerns were put on the backburner,” the DGP said.
20-Feb-2020
Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, who was recently expelled by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), said that religious bodies like the Akal Takht and the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) should be kept out of politics. He said in Amritsar that "Akal Takht and SGPC should be away from politics as the institutions are purely religious."
20-Feb-2020
A recent report by a Deputy Commissioner to Punjab Chief Secretary suggests that cross-border smuggling of AK-47 rifles and contraband such as heroin is taking place in the garb of mining in the Ferozepur area in Punjab. The detailed report was submitted to a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which is currently hearing petitions against the state and other respondents in the mines and minerals category.Taking a note of the report and the details, the Bench of Justice Rajan Gupta and Justice Karamjit Singh has sought action taken report in the matter.
19-Feb-2020
The Special Task Force (STF) arrested a Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader, Anwar Masih in connection with the seizure of 450-kg drugs from his house at Akash Vihar in Sultanwind village in Amritsar district. This is the ninth arrest in the case. Anwar Masih, who is a former member of the Subordinate Services Selection Board, was produced in court, which sent him to two-day police custody. The investigation revealed that the accused refined and manufactured drugs in Masih’s house for more than a month before the racket was busted on January 30. When the drugs were seized, Masih had feigned ignorance about the nefarious activities in his house, which he had rented out to the accused.
19-Feb-2020
The Special Task Force (STF) arrested a Sub-Inspector, Amandeep Singh Gill, station house officer (SHO) of the Division 2 police station, and his driver, Ajay Kumar along with 10 gm of heroin from Khasi Kalan village in Ludhiana district. They were part of a racket operating in Ludhiana with help of police officers who would allegedly “detain drug peddlers first and then keep drug recovered from them to either sell or consume”. The STF further claimed that this gang of police officials would later release these peddlers after taking huge sums as bribe. STF Inspector General RK Jaiswal said that while the alleged drug dealers' car and mobile phones were found hidden on the police station premises, the drugs were recovered from the SHO's residence.
19-Feb-2020
In a joint operation, Police along with the BSF, recovered 4.122 kg of heroin, 52 gm of opium, one China- made pistol, and 25 cartridges with two magazines which were 50 feet deep under the earth towards the Indian side from zero line in Tarn Taran district. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dhruv Dahiya said that it was the handiwork of Indian smugglers with the connivance of their counterparts across the border.
18-Feb-2020
A Sub Inspector (SI), identified as Pritpal Singh was arrested along with 20 gm of heroin when he was trying to smuggle drugs inside the Sangrur Jail in Sangrur district.
18-Feb-2020
The Special Task Force (STF) arrested a money exchanger, identified as Harmeet Singh in connection with the seizure of 450-kg drugs, from Amritsar. The STF claimed that detained money exchanger might have involvement in the making payments for drugs.
18-Feb-2020
Activists of various Sikh organisations including former Akal Takht Jathedars, Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti and Giani Gurbachan Singh staged a street march demanding the status of ‘holy city’ for Amritsar and removal of meat shops, liquor vends and tobacco stores from the vicinity of the Golden Temple, bus stand and railway stations.They urged the Punjab government to remove these shops and vends as it hurt the sanctity of the city and religious sentiments of the devotees visiting the Golden Temple.
18-Feb-2020
According to Mumbai police sources, the arrest of several members of an international gang of drug smugglers operating from Canada, Jalandhar in Punjab and Sydney in Australia has shed light on the possible links of some of them to the Khalistan movement. As per Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) statement in December 2019, nine members of the gang, including some foreigners, were arrested last year from different parts of North India, including Punjab, Delhi, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. Five of the arrested were Indians of whom two are from Jalandhar. Sources said that the drug smuggling racket was run by Canadian nationals of Indian-origin who had migrated from Punjab. At least some of them are suspected to be part of the Khalistan movement still active in Canada. The racket came to light last June after the authorities in Australia intercepted a plasma cutting machine in which more than 55 kg of cocaine were concealed.
17-Feb-2020
According to NIA sources, for the past few months, reports of links between Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and Khalistani militants have been surfacing in the media. The growing incidents of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones dropping arms and drugs in the border districts of Punjab, which shares a border with Pakistan, have raised an alarm for security agencies. The speculations are that JeM’s support to Khalistan outfit will revive the militancy in Punjab state as well. The investigation agencies also received inputs that the two HM terrorists, recently arrested with a Jammu and Kashmir police officer, had connections with Khalistani outfits in Punjab as well. Even an over ground worker (OGW) arrested in the January 31 encounter had revealed that a group of terrorists associated with JeM existed in Amritsar in Punjab. Furthermore, in September 2019, Punjab state authorities had warned the central government after eight drones were allegedly used by Pakistan to airdrop a large number of AK-47 assault rifles and grenades into Amritsar city.“It is the jihadi outfits who have shared the drone capabilities with the Khalistani groups, and our understanding is that outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed have a whole inventory of these drones,” the Director General of Police (DG), Punjab, Dinkar Gupta said.
17-Feb-2020
The Punjab and Haryana High Court described Pakistan as “enemy nation” before denying bail to a 78-year-old man arrested on the basis of suspicion in a case revolving around cross-border smuggling of narcotics. While dismissing the bail plea of the petitioner who was arrested in 2018 for drug smuggling, Justice Ramendra Jain asserted that “This court is not inclined to grant concession of regular bail to the petitioner, keeping in view the heavy recovery of narcotics near the fencing of Indian border, adjoining enemy nation Pakistan.”
17-Feb-2020
The Special Task Force (STF) arrested two more persons, identified as Malkeet Singh and Kuldeep Singh in connection with the seizure of 450 kg of drugs, including 197 kg heroin in Patra in Patiala district. According to STF officials, the accused used to work as couriers and they used to smuggle heroin in the holy city (Amritsar) on the directions of cloth trader and kingpin Ankush Kapoor. Investigations also revealed that they had ferried around 200 kg of heroin so far. With the arrest of the duos, the STF has so far arrested nine persons in the case.
17-Feb-2020
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Manjinder Singh Sirsa demanded immediate citizenship for around 160 Pakistani Hindu, Sikh refugee families who have been living in unhygienic conditions in jhuggis and semi-permanent structures on the Yamuna floodplain near Majnu Ka Tila in north Delhi. He said that around 60 of these families had reached Delhi from Pakistan between February 2 and 15, while 10 families had come just a day ago.